About 300 parishioners filled the cathedral in downtown Syracuse for a noon-time mass in celebration of Pope Leo XIV.
The election of the first American Pope is very meaningful for Bishop Douglas Lucia of the Syracuse Diocese. While there may be similarities between Pope Francis and his successor, he said Leo has clearly established his own style of ministry within the church.
“Where he has always been at the service of God’s people wherever he was needed. It’s still not lost on me that when he became a Bishop, he became a Bishop in South America in the Southern Hemisphere, not in the Northern Hemisphere where he grew up,” he said.
For Catholics like Alex LaPoint from nearby Assumption Church on the city’s north side, he said this moment is most meaningful.
“Just celebrating here in Syracuse, but celebrating with everyone all over the world for a new Pope, it's someone who's going to guide the church, as the Bishop said today," he said. "Bringing unity to the church and really living the Gospel and really looking to him as a model to do that.”
The noon mass for Pope Leo closed with a prayer that he will serve the church for many years to come.
